SEED, in collaboration with GO4SDGs, UN Environment Programme, UN Global Compact and the Government of Germany, is organising an official side event to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

The event comes at an important time. Almost three years into the COVID-19 Pandemic, we have seen dramatic consequences for people and the economy. The progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was severely threatened. With the goal to build back better and, even more so, to build forward better, we must now recognise the non-sustainable pre-pandemic reality so that we can focus on a future of economic progress alongside socially and environmentally sustainable, inclusive global value chains and markets.

SMEs are gamechangers in driving green economic growth and delivering local climate solutions. They are also important job creators and provide basic services, often working with and serving low-income and marginalised groups. As the bedrock of global, national and local markets, eco-inclusive SMEs are at the forefront of climate adaptation and mitigation and drive the progress toward the achievement of the SDGs. Yet, the potential offered by eco-inclusive SMEs remains largely untapped.

During the event, practical cases and success stories from various SMEs that SEED has worked with will be demonstrated. It will show the potential and the necessity to engage with eco-inclusive SMEs, the gamechangers in the transition toward sustainability, and highlight the importance of well-designed collaborations to empower and catalyse their innovations.

The event will also be the lead-up to launching the “Coalition for Innovation, Circularity and Entrepreneurship”, which aims at enabling eco-inclusive enterprises, scaling up and replicating their good practices and giving a voice to SMEs.

Moreover, the SEED Flagship report “Impact Insights: The Power of Eco-Inclusive Enterprises and BDS Providers” will be launched during the event, and key insights will be presented. Additional conclusions will be drawn from the SEED-GO4SDGs Case Study Snapshot “Green SMEs and their Success Factors for Scale-up and Replication”.

You can find the full agenda for the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development side event by SEED here.

Our Speakers